Slot machine having a plurality of game lines

ABSTRACT

Symbol displaying windows are arranged in matrix and are combined to set game lines including three horizontal lines, three vertical lines, and two diagonal lines. An operation panel is provided with line buttons and bet buttons. When a game is played, one of the line buttons is depressed first to nominate the game lines. Successively, one of the bet buttons is depressed to bet coins on the nominated game lines. After that, a symbol row is rotated in each symbol displaying window. A number of the game lines to be nominated and a number of coins to be betted thereon are optionally selected by a player. Each of the line buttons and the bet buttons contains an LED for showing whether the corresponding button is operative or not.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a slot machine in whichoccurrence of winning is determined in accordance with a combination ofsymbols stopped at a nominated game line.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] In a most popularized slot machine of a three-reel type, threereels having symbols arranged on peripheries thereof are disposed sideby side and are rotated. When each reel has stopped, three symbols aredisplayed within a symbol window in a vertical direction. In total, ninesymbols are displayed in the symbol window. A game line is predeterminedin accordance with a type of the slot machine so as to straightlycombine the symbols of the respective reels. For example, a certain typeof the slot machine has one horizontal game line, and another typethereof has three horizontal game lines. Further, the other type of theslot machine has five game lines additionally including two diagonallines.

[0005] The slot machine having the plural game lines tends to catch aplayer's fancy because probability of winning increases. Usually, anumber of the game lines is determined in accordance with a number ofcoins (including tokens) betted prior to a slot-machine game. Forexample, as to the slot machine having five game lines, the centralhorizontal line is nominated by inserting one coin, and the threehorizontal lines are nominated by inserting two coins. Further, the fivelines including two diagonal lines are nominated by inserting threecoins.

[0006] In the meantime, some players desire to play a game on acondition that only the central line is nominated and three coins areintensively betted on this line. In this case, the player needs tochoose the slot machine in which only the central line is set as thegame line and the number of coins to be betted can be selected. By theway, the slot machines are located in a casino so as to be grouped everytype. Thus, it is troublesome for the player to choose the desired slotmachine among the various types of the slot machine.

[0007] In some slot machines having plural game lines, the player canselect the number of the game lines separately from the number of thebetted coins. With respect to such a slot machine, it is preferable tohave more game lines for the purpose of raising its attraction. Forinstance, as shown in FIG. 8, the number of the reels is increased up tofive. In this case, six game lines 90 d to 90 i having a bent shape areprovided in addition to three horizontal game lines 90 a to 90 c. Inother words, the game lines are contrived such that the number thereofis nine.

[0008] In the above slot machine, when the player operates a selectionbutton of one line prior to the game, only the game line 90 a isnominated. When a selection button of three lines is operated, the gamelines 90 b and 90 c are added to nominate the three game lines. When aselection button of five lines is operated, the game lines 90 d and 90 eare further added to nominate the five game lines. When a selectionbutton of seven lines is operated, the game lines 90 f and 90 g arefurther added to nominate the seven game lines. When a selection buttonof nine lines is operated, the game lines 90 h and 90 i are furthermoreadded to nominate the nine game lines. After that, by operating a betbutton, a bet number is determined relative to the nominated game lines.Meanwhile, such as shown in FIG. 9, if four symbols are displayed perreel, eight game lines 91 a through 91 h may be set. The player canselect the proper number of the game lines among the lines 91 a through91 h.

[0009] However, when the plural game lines are provided such as shown inFIG. 8, the game lines 90 d to 90 i are bent and some of the game linespartially overlap with the other game line. Due to this, there arises aproblem in that it is difficult to distinguish the player's nominatedgame line from the other game lines. The game lines 91 a to 91 h shownin FIG. 9 are straight. However, when the respective reels are separatedfrom each other, and when the symbols of each reel are arranged at shortintervals, it is difficult to distinguish the respective game lines at aglance.

[0010] Moreover, when the slot machine is provided with the pluralgame-line selection buttons and the plural bet buttons, there arises aproblem in that it is difficult to instantly judge the operativegame-line selection buttons and the operative bet buttons within anextent of the inserted coins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In view of the foregoing, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a slot machine in which it is possible to set moregame lines, and only a part of which can be optionally nominated by aplayer.

[0012] It is a second object of the present invention to provide a slotmachine in which a game line nominated by a player may be easilydistinguished from the other game lines.

[0013] It is a third object of the present invention to provide a slotmachine in which operative buttons for selecting game lines and a betnumber thereof may be easily distinguished from the other inoperativebuttons.

[0014] In order to achieve the above and other objects, the slot machineof a preferred embodiment comprises nine reels, each of which hassymbols aligned on a surface thereof. These nine reels are arranged insquare matrix to set eight game lines including three horizontal lines,three vertical lines, and two diagonal lines. From the eight game lines,a player can select a desired number thereof to be nominated.

[0015] The slot machine is provided with game-line selection buttons forselecting a number of the game lines to be nominated. In addition, theslot machine is provided with bet-number input buttons and asimultaneous-input button. The bet-number input button is for inputtinga number of coins to be betted on the nominated game lines. Thesimultaneous-input button is operated for simultaneously performing bothof nominating the game lines and betting the coins thereon. Whenever thesimultaneous-input button is operated, a predetermined number of thegame lines are additionally nominated in a predetermined order. Forinstance, upon operation of the simultaneous-input button, the number ofthe nominated game lines increases one by one. At the same time, a fixednumber of coins are betted on the nominated game line. When thesimultaneous-input button is successively operated after nominating allof the game lines, the fixed number of coins are additionally betted onthe nominated game lines in the predetermined order. In this way, it ispossible to optionally determine the number of the game lines to benominated. Moreover, it is also possible to optionally determine thenumber of coins to be betted on the nominated game lines.

[0016] The slot machine according to another embodiment comprisesindication members for indicating the operative buttons among thegame-line selection buttons and the bet-number input buttons. Theindication member is contained in the respective buttons. Afterinserting the coins into the slot machine, the game-line selectionbuttons and the bet-number input buttons partly become operative inaccordance with a number of the inserted coins. Of course, when thenumber of the inserted coins exceeds a predetermined number, all of thebuttons become operative. The operative button is indicated by turningon the indication member contained therein. The indication member is anLED, for example.

[0017] According to the present invention, the nine reels are arrangedin square matrix, and three of them are vertically, horizontally anddiagonally combined to set the eight game lines. Moreover, the game-lineselection members are provided. This member is operated after insertingthe coins and before moving a symbol row. The player can select the gamelines to be nominated and the number of coins to be betted on thenominated game lines. Owing to this, the player is more interested inthe slot machine game. Incidentally, the nominated game line is adaptedto be easily distinguished.

[0018] Further, according to the present invention, the player caninstantly judge the number of the nominatable game lines and thepossible number of coins to be betted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The above objects and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments of the invention when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

[0020]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a slot machine of a firstembodiment;

[0021]FIG. 2 is an explanatory illustration showing formation gamelines;

[0022]FIG. 3 is a front view showing an operation panel;

[0023]FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing electrical structure of the slotmachine of the first embodiment;

[0024]FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the slot machine of a secondembodiment;

[0025]FIG. 6 is a front view showing a liquid-crystal panel of the slotmachine of the second embodiment;

[0026]FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing electrical structure of the slotmachine of the second embodiment;

[0027]FIG. 8 is an explanatory illustration showing game-line formationof the conventional slot machine having five reels; and

[0028]FIG. 9 is an explanatory illustration showing game-line formationof the slot machine in which four symbols are displayed per reel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, a front face of a slot machine 10 is providedwith nine symbol windows 11, an operation panel 12 and a coin tray 13.The symbol windows 11 are arranged in three-by-three matrix. Behind thesymbol windows 11, nine reels 14 are respectively disposed so as tocorrespond to each windows 11. A plurality of symbols are arranged on aperipheral surface of the reel 14 at predetermined intervals. When thereel 14 is stopped, one of the symbols is displayed through the symbolwindow 11.

[0030] In FIG. 2, such as shown by broken lines, eight game lines areprovided for the symbol windows 11 arranged in matrix. The eight gamelines include horizontal three game lines 15 a to 15 c, vertical threegame lines 15 d to 15 f, and diagonal two game lines 15 g and 15 h. Inaccordance with a symbol combination displayed along each of the gamelines 15 a to 15 h, it is determined whether winning occurs or not. Oneend of each of the game lines 15 a to 15 h is provided with a lineindicator 16 having an arrow shape. An LED is disposed behind the lineindicator 16, and is turned on to indicate the nominated game line.

[0031] The operation panel 12 is disposed under the symbol windows 11,and is provided with various operation buttons and a coin slot 20. Asshown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 12 is provided with a payout button21, a change button 22, line buttons 23, bet buttons 24, a spin button25, a one-by-one bet button 26, and a maximum bet button 27.

[0032] Each of the line buttons 23 works as a member for selecting thegame lines. The line buttons 23 include a one-line button 23 a, athree-line button 23 b, a five-line button 23 c, and an eight-linebutton 23 d. By selectively depressing the line buttons 23 a to 23 d, anumber of the game lines to be nominated is selected. The selectablenumber of the game lines is determined in accordance with a number ofcoins (including tokens) inserted into the coin slot 20. Incidentally,when the coin accumulated in a credit counter is used, the coin is notactually inserted for each game. In the present specification, however,meaning of “coin insertion” includes usage of the coin accumulated inthe credit counter.

[0033] For example, when a player inserts one or two coins, the numberof the nominatable game lines is one. Upon depression of the one-linebutton 23 a, the game line 15 a is nominated. When three or four coinsare inserted, the number of the nominatable game lines is three. Upondepression of the three-line button 23 b, the game lines 15 a to 15 care nominated. Similarly, when five through seven coins are inserted,the game lines 15 a to 15 e are nominated upon depression of thefive-line button 23 c. Further, when eight or more coins are inserted,all the game lines 15 a to 15 h are nominated upon depression of theeight-line button 23 d.

[0034] Each of the bet buttons 24 works as a member for inputting a betnumber. The bet buttons 24 include a one-bet button 24 a, a two-betbutton 24 b, a three-bet button 24 c, and a four-bet button 24 d. Byselectively depressing one of the bet buttons 24, a number of the coinsto be betted is determined every nominated game line. Incidentally, itis possible to bet one through four coins on the nominated game line byusing the bet buttons 24. Consequently, as to the slot machine 10, thelimit number of the coins to be betted in each game is thirty-two underthe circumstances that all of the game lines 15 a to 15 h are nominatedand four coins are betted on the respective game lines.

[0035] When the coins are betted with the bet buttons 24 a to 24 d, thesame number of the coins is adapted to be betted on each of thenominated game lines. For instance, when all of the game lines 15 a to15 h are nominated and the one-bet button 24 a is depressed, the coinsare betted on the respective game lines 15 a to 15 h one by one so thateight coins are betted in total. Similarly, when all of the game lines15 a to 15 h are nominated and the two-bet button 24 b is depressed, thecoins are betted on the respective game lines 15 a to 15 h two by two sothat sixteen coins are betted in total. If the winning occurs on thenominated game line, the player obtains the award coins, the number ofwhich corresponds to a dividend multiplied by the bet number α (αisequal to 1, 2, 3 or 4).

[0036] The one-by-one bet button 26 works as a member for simultaneouslyinputting plural operations. Concretely, the one-by-one bet button 26 isused for simultaneously performing both of nominating the game line andbetting the coin thereon. For instance, when the one-by-one bet button26 is depressed by one time, the game line 15 a is nominated and onecoin is betted thereon. When the one-by-one bet button 26 is depressedby two times, the game lines 15 a and 15 b are nominated and two coinsare betted on these two lines one by one. When the one-by-one bet button26 is depressed by three times, the game lines 15 a to 15 c arenominated and three coins are betted thereon one by one. In this way,the game lines are nominated in a predetermined order such that thenumber of the nominated game lines corresponds to the depression numberof the one-by-one bet button 26.

[0037] When the depression number of the one-by-one bet button 26exceeds the number of the whole game lines 15 a to 15 h, the coin isbetted on the game line again in the predetermined order. For instance,when the one-by-one bet button 26 is depressed by nine times, the coinsare betted such as follows. Upon depressing the one-by-one bet button 26by eight times, the whole game lines 15 a to 15 h are nominated and thecoins are betted on the respective game lines 15 a to 15 h one by one.And then, upon ninth depression of the one-by-one bet button 26, thecoin is betted on the game line 15 a again. In other words, two coinsare betted on the game line 15 a and one coin is betted on each of theother game lines 15 b to 15 h. In this way, when the one-by-one betbutton 26 is depressed by “N” times (N is an integer of 4 or less) foreach the game line, the coins of which number is “N” are betted.

[0038] When the number of the inserted coins exceeds thirty-two or whenthe number of the coins accumulated in the credit counter exceedsthirty-two, the whole game lines 15 a to 15 h are nominated by operatingthe maximum bet button 27. At this time, the coins are betted on therespective game lines four by four. By the way, if the number of theinserted coins is thirty-one or less, all of the inserted coins may bebetted with the maximum bet button 27. In this instance, nominating thegame line and betting the coin thereon are carried out similarly to thecase in that the one-by-one bet button 26 is operated.

[0039] Meanwhile, an LED 28 is disposed behind each of the buttonsincluding the line buttons 23 a to 23 d, the bet buttons 24 a to 24 d,the one-by-one bet button 26, and the maximum bet button 27. Thesebuttons are made of translucent plastic. When the LED 28 is turned on,the light thereof is visible through the translucent button. By turningon the LEDs 28 in accordance with the number of the inserted coins, itis possible to indicate the operative buttons among the line buttons andthe bet buttons. The button whose LED 28 is turned off can not beselected. The one-by-one bet button 26 and the maximum bet button 27 canbe always operated when the coin is inserted. Thus, the LEDs 28 of theone-by-one bet button 26 and the maximum bet button 27 are always turnedon when the coin is inserted.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, a coin sensor 31 disposed behind the coinslot 20 inputs a coin detection signal into a CPU 32 whenever the propercoin is inserted in the coin slot 20. A lighting data memory 33 storeslighting data for turning on and off the LEDs 28 in accordance with thenumber of the inserted coins. The CPU 32 reads the lighting data fromthe memory 33 in response to the coin detection signal. At the sametime, the CPU 32 activates an LED controller 34 to control the LED 28via an LED driver 35. Owing to this, the LEDs 28 of the line buttons 23a to 23 d and the bet buttons 24 a to 24 d are turned on in accordancewith the number of the inserted coins. Moreover, the LEDs 28 of theone-by-one bet button 26 and the maximum bet button 27 are turned on.

[0041] When each button of the operation panel 12 is operated, anoperation signal thereof is inputted into the CPU 32 by an operationdetecting circuit 36. When the line button 23 is operated, a lineselection signal is inputted into the CPU 32 to judge the number of thegame lines to be nominated. A ROM 37 stores game-line patterns fornominating the game lines. The CPU 32 reads the game-line pattern fromthe ROM 37 and nominates the game lines so as to correspond to theselected number thereof. When the bet button 24 is depressed, the betnumber (odds) selection signal is inputted into the CPU 32 totemporarily store the bet number in a RAM 38.

[0042] When the one-by-one bet button 26 is depressed, an input signalthereof is inputted into the CPU 32. Upon this, the CPU 32 reads thegame-line pattern from the ROM 37 to nominate the game line 15 a and thesucceeding game lines in accordance with a number of the signalsinputted from the one-by-one bet button 26. The CPU 32 temporarilystores the bet number of the nominated game lines in the RAM 38.Incidentally, the CPU 32 outputs a signal to a display driver 39 inresponse to the operation signal of the line buttons 23 and theone-by-one bet button 26 in order to activate the line indicator 16.

[0043] The lighting data memory 33 stores the lighting data for turningon and off the LEDs 28 in accordance with the operation of the linebuttons 23 and the bet buttons 24. When the operation signals of theline button 23 and the bet button 24 are inputted into the CPU 32, thelighting data is read from the lighting data memory 33 by the CPU 32 toactivate the LED controller 34. Based on the read lighting data, the LEDcontroller 34 turns on only the LEDs 28 corresponding to the selectedline button 23 and the selected bet button 24. The LEDs 28 of the otherbuttons are turned off.

[0044] By the way, when the line button 23 is operated, the LEDcontroller 34 turns off the LEDs 28 of the bet buttons 24 which can notbe selected in view of the number of the inserted coins. In a case thatanother line button 23 whose LED 28 is turned off is operated afterselecting one of the line buttons, the LED controller 34 turns on theLED 28 of the newly operated line button 23, and turns off the LED 28 ofthe previously operated line button 23. In this way, it is possible forthe player to change the selected number of the game lines.

[0045] Upon depression of the spin button 25, a start signal is inputtedinto the CPU 32 to activate a motor controller 40. The motor controller40 supplies drive pulses to stepping motors 42 a to 42 i via motordrivers 41 a to 41 i provided for the respective stepping motors. By theway, in a state that the coin is not inserted, the start signal isignored so that the reel 14 is not rotated.

[0046] The respective reels 14 are directly driven by the steppingmotors 42 a to 42 i. A rotational amount of the reel 14 is calculatedfrom a number of the drive pulses supplied to the corresponding steppingmotor. The number of the drive pulses supplied to the stepping motor iscounted by an individual counter provided in a winning judgement section43. Meanwhile, a reset signal is outputted from each of sensors 44 a to44 i whenever each reel 14 passes its reference position. In response tothe reset signal, a counted value of the drive pulses supplied to thecorresponding stepping motor is reset. This way, the rotational positionof the stepping motor is continuously monitored per rotation. Symbolarrangement commencing from the reference position is known in advancewith respect to each reel 14. Accordingly, when the stepping motor hasbeen stopped, a kind of the symbol appearing in the symbol displayingwindow 11 is specified on the basis of the counted value of the drivepulses.

[0047] When the motor controller 40 is activated, the CPU 32 extracts arandom number from a random-number generator 45 to determine a symbolcombination occurring as a result of the current game. In order todetermine the symbol combination, the ROM 37 stores data for correlatingthe random number with the symbol combination.

[0048] The symbol arrangement commencing from the reference position isknown regarding each reel 14, and arrangement data thereof is written inthe ROM 37. The CPU 32 controls the stepping motors 42 a to 42 i,observing the counted values of the respective counters. Owing to this,the reels may be stopped such that the symbol combination correspondingto the extracted random number is displayed on the nominated game line.In other words, the respective reels 14 are stopped by the CPU 32 so asto obtain the symbol combination determined on the basis of theextracted random number.

[0049] The winning judgement section 43 receives the data of thenominated game lines from the CPU 32. Moreover, the winning judgementsection 43 checks the data stored in the ROM 37 to confirm whether thewinning occurs or not every nominated game line. When occurrence of thewinning is confirmed, a winning signal and a line signal are inputtedinto the CPU 32. The winning signal represents a kind of the winning,and the line signal represents the nominated game line on which thewinning occurs. When the winning does not occur, a loss signal isinputted into the CPU 32.

[0050] In the case that the winning has occurred, the CPU 32 checks thebet number saved in the RAM 38 and the dividend-coin data stored in theROM 37. Then, the CPU 32 stores, in the RAM 38, the number of thedividend coins corresponding to the kind of the obtained winning.Moreover, the CPU 32 actuates a credit display 17 to indicate theaccumulated number of the dividend coins. If the payout button 21 isdepressed at this time, a coin dispenser 46 is driven to pay out thecoins, the number of which is indicated by the credit display 17, to thecoin tray 13. Incidentally, the RAM 38 includes a credit counting areaand a coin counting area in addition to an area for storing the numberof the betted coins. The credit counting area is for accumulating thenumber of the divided coins obtained every winning, and the coincounting area is for storing the number of the inserted coins. The RAM38 is used as a memory for temporarily storing the various data obtainedduring the game process. The ROM 37 stores, besides the above data,programs for executing a main-game sequence and a sub-game sequence.

[0051] Hereinafter, an operation of the slot machine 10 is described.First of all, the player inserts the coin into the coin slot 20. Then,the player imagines which game line is expected to obtain the winning.In accordance with the imagination, the player selects the number of thegame lines to be nominated. Further, the player selects the bet numberof the nominated game lines. Selecting the game lines and the bet numberis performed by operating the line buttons 23 and the bet buttons 24,alternatively by operating the one-by-one bet button 26.

[0052] When operating the line button 23 and the bet button 24, the linebutton 23 is operated first to select the number of the game lines to benominated. At this time, the LEDs 28 of the line buttons 23 beingselectable are turned on in accordance with the number of the insertedcoins. Upon depression of the one-line button 23 a, only the game line15 a is nominated. Upon depression of the three-line button 23 b, thegame lines 15 a to 15 c are nominated. Upon depression of the five-linebutton 23 c, the game lines 15 a to 15 e are nominated. Upon depressionof the eight-line button 23 d, the whole game lines 15 a to 15 h arenominated. Incidentally, after the line button 23 has been selected,only the LED 28 of the selected one is turned on.

[0053] Successively, one of the bet buttons 24 is depressed forselecting the number of the coins to be betted on the nominated gamelines. At this time, only the LEDs 28 of the operative bet buttons 24are turned on after depressing the line button 23. Upon selectivelydepressing one of the bet buttons 24, the coins whose number is one,two, three or four are betted on each of the nominated game lines. Afterdepressing one of the bet buttons 24, only the LED 28 of the selectedone is turned on. Meanwhile, an operation signal is inputted from theoperation detecting circuit 36 into the CPU 32 to actuate the lineindicator 16.

[0054] After that, the spin button 25 is depressed to rotate the reels14. Upon this, the start signal is inputted from the operation detectingcircuit 36 into the CPU 32 to activate the motor controller 40. The CPU32 extracts the random number from the random-number generator 45 todetermine the symbol combination to be displayed as a result of thecurrent game. Further, the symbols to be stopped at the game line aredetermined with respect to the respective reels 14.

[0055] Occurrence of winning is determined as stated above. In the caseof winning, a kind thereof is also determined. And then, the respectivereels 14 are simultaneously started to rotate. After rotating therespective reels 14 by a predetermined amount, the CPU 32 performs astopping operation of the stepping motors 42 a to 42 j, referring to thecounted value of the counter. In virtue of this operation, the reels 14are stopped so as to display the symbol combination determined on thebasis of the extracted random number. In the case of winning, the creditdisplay 17 is actuated, referring to both of the dividend-coin datastored in the ROM 37 and the bet number saved in the RAM 38, to indicatethe accumulation number of the awarded coins corresponding to the kindof the obtained winning. At the same time, the number of the awardedcoins is accumulated in the credit counter area of the RAM 38. In thiscase, the awarded coins are the dividend-coin number multiplied by thebet number α (=1 to 4). After displaying the number of the awardedcoins, one game is completed.

[0056] When the number of the game lines to be nominated and the betnumber thereof are selected by operating the one-by-one bet button 26,this button 26 is depressed by desired times. When the one-by-one betbutton 26 is depressed, the number of the nominated game lines increasesin association with the depression number of the button 26. At the sametime, betting the coin is also performed. When the one-by-one bet button26 is depressed within eight times, the coins are betted on thenominated game lines one by one. When the one-by-one bet button 26 isdepressed within a range of nine times to thirty-two times, the coinsare betted on the nominated game lines two by two, three by three, orfour by four.

[0057] After that, the respective reels 14 are rotated upon depressionof the spin button 25. When the respective reels 14 are stopped, thecredit display 17 indicates the kind of winning and the awarded-coinnumber corresponding to the betted-coin number, if the winning isobtained. At the same time, the awarded-coin number is accumulated inthe credit counter area of the RAM 38. Then, one game is completed.

[0058] When the inserted-coin number or the accumulated-coin number ofthe credit counter is thirty-two or more, the whole game lines 15 a to15 h are nominated by depressing the maximum bet button 27. In thiscase, it is possible to bet the coins on the game lines 15 a to 15 hfour by four. On the other hand, when the inserted-coin number or theaccumulated-coin number of the credit counter is thirty-one or less, thenumber of the game lines to be nominated and the bet number thereof areselected in accordance with the number of the coins similarly to thecase of depressing the one-by-one bet button 26. Thus, by depressing themaximum bet button 27, it is unnecessary to operate the line button 23,the bet button 24, and the one-by-one bet button 26.

[0059] As described above, the slot machine 10 has two manners forselecting the number of the game lines and the bet number thereof. Inone manner, the line button 23 and the bet button 24 are operated. Inthe other manner, the one-by-one bet button 26 is operated. Forinstance, when the game is played with two coins, the game line 15 a isnominated by operating the one-line button 23 a, and then, one or twocoins are betted on the game line 15 a by operating the one-bet button24 a or the two-bet button 24 b. In contrast, by depressing theone-by-one bet button 26 twice, the coins are betted on the game lines15 a and 15 b one by one.

[0060] The player forecasts the game line on which the winning is likelyto occur, and operates the line button 23 and the bet button 24. Owingto this, the number of the coins to be betted on the forecasted gameline may be increased to obtain a large number of the dividend coins.Therefore, the player obtains novel interest of the game, since it isannexed thereto to forecast the game line on which the winning is likelyto occur. Moreover, by operating the one-by-one bet button 26, the coinsmay be uniformly betted on the nominated game lines so that the playermay play one game without losing many coins.

[0061] As described above, when playing the slot-machine game, theone-by-one bet button 26 is used separately from the line buttons 23 andthe bet buttons 24. Owing to this, the game is prevented from beingmonotonously played, and it is possible to play the game in variousways. Thus, interest of the game may be enhanced for the player.Further, the nine reels are arranged in the matrix form so that it ispossible to introduce the vertical game lines. Accordingly, the numberof the game lines is increased. At the same time, all the game linesbecome straight so that the game lines may be easily distinguished fromeach other notwithstanding the increase of the game lines. Consequently,game contents may be easily grasped so that the player may enjoy thegame in various aspect.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the nine symbol windows 11 are combinedthree by three in the vertical direction, in the horizontal direction,and in the diagonal direction to set the eight game lines in total.However, this is not exclusive. It is possible to set a proper number ofthe game lines by combining any three of the symbol windows 11. Also inthis case, the number of the game lines to be nominated and the betnumber thereof are selected similarly to the above embodiment. In thisway, the game may be played in various manners so that interest of thegame is enhanced for the player.

[0063] As to the operation buttons disposed on the operation panel 12,the kinds and the arrangement thereof may be properly changed. Forinstance, a two-by-two bet button may be provided besides the one-by-onebet button 26. By using the two-by-two bet button, the coins are bettedtwo by two on the game lines to be sequentially nominated. Similarly, athree-by-three bet button may be provided. Moreover, if a double-upbutton and so forth are provided, the game may be played in more variousways.

[0064] In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to theslot machine whose reels 14 are automatically stopped. However, this isnot exclusive. The present invention may be applied to the slot machinewhose reel is stopped by operating a stop button. Further, the presentinvention may be applied to a video-type slot machine in which reels aredisplayed on a CRT and are rotated in accordance with graphic datastored in a ROM.

[0065] Next, a second embodiment is described below. In the secondembodiment, a component being identical with that of the firstembodiment is denoted by same reference numeral and detailed descriptionthereof is abbreviated. As shown in FIG. 5, a front face of a slotmachine 50 is provided with a symbol-image displaying unit 51, anoperation panel 12, and a coin tray 13. FIG. 6 shows the symbol-imagedisplaying unit 51 under a condition that five game lines are nominated.A liquid crystal panel 57 is attached to the symbol-image displayingunit 51. A display surface of the liquid crystal panel 57 is providedwith symbol-image windows 58, a line-number window 59, bet-numberwindows 60, a total-bet-number window 61, a coin-number window 62, amessage window 63, and a credit window 64.

[0066] A number of the symbol-image windows 58 is nine, and they arearranged in three-by-three matrix. The symbol-image window 58 is anindividual area for displaying symbol images which move so as to flowtherein. The nine symbol-image windows 58 are combined three by three,including three horizontal lines, three vertical lines, and two diagonallines. In total, eight game lines are provided. By the way, frame linesfor defining the display surface is not essential and may be omittedinsofar as the individual display area, the number of which is nine, aresecured.

[0067] The line-number window 59 works as a display for indicating anumber of the nominated game lines for the player. The nominated gameline itself is indicated by a line display 65 straightly extending fromone end of the three symbol-image windows of the game line to the otherend thereof. The line display 65 is superimposed on the symbol imagesand is turned on to indicate the nominated game line. When the movingdisplay of the symbol images is started, the line display 65 is turnedoff for a while. Then, when the moving display of the symbol images isstopped, the line display 65 is turned on again. At this time, the linedisplay 65 on which winning occurs is adapted to be blinked.

[0068] The bet-number windows 60 are disposed near the one ends of therespective line displays 65 to indicate the number of coins betted onthe nominated game lines. The total bet-number window 61 indicates thetotal number of coins betted on the nominated game lines. In FIG. 6, thefive game lines are nominated and the coins are betted thereon one byone so that the respective bet-number windows 60 indicate “1” and thetotal-bet-number window 61 indicates “5”.

[0069] The coin-number window 62 indicates a number of coins to be paidwhen the winning occurs on the nominated game line. The message window63 displays messages for instructing coin insertion and operations ofvarious buttons provided on the operation panel 12. The massage window63 guides a player along a game process. The message shown in FIG. 6instructs the player to operate the bet button. In accordance with thedisplayed message, the player operates the bet button. The credit window64 displays a number of coins accumulated in a credit counter.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 5, the operation panel 12 is provided under thesymbol-image displaying unit 51. The operation panel 12 is described inthe first embodiment in detail.

[0071] When a player inserts one coin, the number of the nominatablegame lines is one. Upon depression of the one-line button 23 a, thecentral horizontal game line is nominated. When three coins areinserted, the number of the nominatable game lines is three. Uponoperation of the three-line button 23 b, the three horizontal game linesare nominated. Similarly, when five coins are inserted, the five gamelines are nominated in total upon operation of the five-line button 23c. The five game lines include the three horizontal game lines and thetwo diagonal game lines. When eight coins are inserted, the eight gamelines are nominated in total upon operation of the eight-line button 23d. The eight game lines include the three vertical game lines inaddition to the above-noted five game lines.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 7, the CPU 32 activates a display control IC 72and the LED controller 34 in response to the coin detection signaloutputted from the coin sensor 31. The display control IC 72 indicates anumber of the inserted coins in the credit window 64 of the liquidcrystal panel 57.

[0073] When each button of the operation panel 12 is operated, anoperation signal thereof is inputted into the CPU 32 via the operationdetecting circuit 36. Incidentally, the CPU 32 totally controls theoperation of the slot machine in accordance with a game program storedin the ROM 37, and ignores the inputted operation signals if thesesignals are irrelevant to game procedure.

[0074] When the line button 23 is depressed, the CPU 32 judges thenumber of the game lines to be nominated in response to the selectedline button 23. Then, a judgement signal is inputted into the displaycontrol IC 72. From a line pattern memory 78, the display control IC 72reads out graphic data of the line-number window 59 and the line display65 corresponding to the judgement signal. The graphic data are displayedon the liquid crystal panel 57 every display position. The CPU 32nominates the game lines shown by the line displays 65 so as tocorrespond to the selected number of the game lines.

[0075] When the bet button 24 is depressed, a bet-number selectionsignal is inputted into the CPU 32. Successively, the CPU 32 judges thebed number to input a judgement signal into the display control IC 72.From a bet-number data memory 79, the display control IC 72 reads outcorresponding graphic data to be displayed in both of the bet-numberwindow 60 and the total-bet-number window 61. The graphic data aredisplayed on the liquid crystal panel 57. Meanwhile, the CPU 32temporarily saves the bet number in the RAM 38.

[0076] In addition, from a message data memory 81, the display controlIC 72 reads a massage for instructing coin insertion when it is requiredto insert the coins. The display control IC 72 also reads, from themessage date memory 81, messages for instructing operations of the linebutton 23, the bet button 24 and the spin button 25. The read message isdisplayed in the message window 63.

[0077] When the spin button 25 is depressed, the start signal isinputted into the CPU 32 to activate the display control IC 72 inresponse to the start signal. The display control IC 72 reads outgraphic data of a symbol-image row from a symbol-image data memory 82with respect to each of the symbol-image windows 58. The read graphicdata is inputted into the liquid crystal panel 57. Owing to this, theindividual symbol image constituting the symbol-image row is repeatedlydisplayed in the symbol-image window 58 so as to flow therein. In themeantime, when the spin button 25 is depressed, the CPU 32 actuates theLED controller 34 to change the state of the lighting LED 28 to ablinking state via the LED driver 35.

[0078] When the start signal is inputted into the CPU 32, a sole randomnumber is sampled from the random-number generator 45 and is inputtedinto the winning judgement section 43. When inputting the random number,the winning judgement section 43 determines a kind of the winning to beawarded in the current game. Successively, the CPU 32 activates a symboldetermining circuit 85 for determining the symbol images to be stoppedin the symbol-image windows 58. The symbol images to be finallydisplayed are determined in accordance with the kind of winning ornon-winning determined on the basis of the sampled random number. A headaddress of the graphic data corresponding to the finally displayedsymbol image is inputted into the CPU 32.

[0079] The display control IC 72 inputs the head address allocated toeach symbol image into the CPU 32 when the graphic data of each displayposition is inputted into the liquid crystal panel 57. Thus, the CPU 32can recognize the symbol image currently displayed at each displayposition by monitoring the head address. When the head address inputtedfrom the symbol determining circuit 85 coincides with the head addressinputted from the display control IC 72, the moving display of thesymbol-image row is stopped. In this way, the determined symbol image isstopped in each of the symbol-image windows 58. In the case of winning,the CPU 32 determines the game line, at random, on which the winningoccurs.

[0080] As stated above, the symbol image is displayed in thesymbol-image window 58 so as to flow. Thus, the timing for inputting thehead address of the graphic data into the liquid crystal panel 57 doesnot coincide with the timing for displaying the corresponding symbolimage at the center of the symbol-image window 58. However, the displaycontrol IC 72 monitors a moving speed of the symbol image by countingclock pulses so that it is easy to deal with a difference between theformer timing and the latter timing.

[0081] After the winning has occurred, the CPU 32 checks thedividend-coin data stored in the ROM 37 and the bet number saved in theRAM 38. Then, the CPU 32 stores, in the RAM 38, the number of thedividend coins corresponding to the kind of the obtained winning. At thesame time, the CPU 32 actuates the display control IC 72 to indicate theaccumulated number of the dividend coins in the credit window 64. Inaddition, the display control IC 72 blinks the line display 65 alongwhich the winning occurs. Upon depression of the payout button 21, thecoin dispenser 46 is driven to pay out the coins, the number of which isindicated in the credit window 64, to the coin tray 13.

[0082] An operation of the slot machine 50 is described below. First ofall, the player inserts the coin into the coin slot 20. Then, the playerimagines which game line is expected to obtain the winning. Inaccordance with the imagination, the player selects the number of thegame lines to be nominated. Further, the player selects the bet numberof the nominated game lines. Selecting the game lines and the bet numberare performed by operating the line buttons 23 and the bet buttons 24.

[0083] When the coin is inserted, the coin detection signal is inputtedinto the CPU 32 to activate the LED controller 34. If the number of theinserted coins is thirty two or more, all of the line buttons 23 and thebet buttons 24 are tuned on. After that, the player determines thenumber of the game lines to be nominated, and selectively depresses anyone of the line buttons 23 including the one-line button 23 a throughthe eight-line button 23 d. Upon depressing the one-line button 23 a,the sole horizontal line is nominated. Upon depressing the three-linebutton 23 b, the three horizontal lines are nominated. Upon depressingthe five-line button 23 c, the three horizontal lines and the twodiagonal lines are nominated. Upon depressing the eight-line button 23d, the three horizontal lines, the two diagonal lines and the threevertical lines are nominated. When one of the line buttons 23 isdepressed such as stated above, a game-line selection signal is inputtedinto the CPU 32 via the operation detecting circuit 36 to activate thedisplay control IC 72 and the LED controller 34.

[0084] In accordance with the number of the nominated game lines, theLED controller 34 continues to turn on the LED 28 of the depressed linebutton 23. The LEDs 28 of the non-selected line buttons 23 are turnedoff. For instance, when the one-line button 23 a is depressed, the LED28 thereof is kept in a lighting state and the LEDs 28 of the other linebuttons are turned off. In a case the user wants, after depressing theline button 23, to change the number of the game lines to be nominated,it is sufficient to depress the line button of the desired number. Inthis case, the LED controller 34 turns on the LED 28 of the newlydepressed line button 23, and turns off the LED 28 of the previouslydepressed line button 23.

[0085] In the meantime, the display control IC 72 indicates thenominated game line on the liquid crystal panel 57 with the line display65. In addition, the display control IC 72 shows the number of thenominated game lines in the line-number window 59.

[0086] Successively, the player selects the number of the coins to bebetted on the nominated game line. At this point in time, all of the betbuttons 24 are turned on. The player depresses any one of the betbuttons 24 a through 24 d to bet the coins of four or less on thenominated game line. Similarly to the line button 23, only the LED 28 ofthe depressed bet button 24 continues to be turned on and the LEDs 28 ofthe other bet buttons 24 are turned off. Incidentally, when thirty twocoins are betted by depressing the eight-line button 23 d and thefour-bet button 24 d, the maximum bet button 27 may be depressed insteadof these buttons 23 d and 24 d.

[0087] When one of the bet buttons 24 is depressed, the operation signalis inputted into the CPU 32 via the operation detecting circuit 36 toactivate the display control IC 72 for indicating the number of thebetted coins in the bet-number window 60. At the same time, the totalnumber of the betted coins is shown in the total-bet-number window 61.

[0088] When the number of the inserted coins is thirty one or less andis eight or more, the LEDs 28 of all of the line buttons 23 and the betbuttons 24 are turned on. Upon depressing one of the line buttons 23 athrough 23 d, only the LED 28 of the depressed line button 23 is kept inthe lighting state. According to the number of the nominated game lines,there is a possibility that some of the bet buttons 24 becomeinoperative. In this case, the LED 28 of the inoperative bet button 24is turned off.

[0089] For instance, when the coins are inserted by eight, the LEDs 28of all of the line buttons 23 and the bet buttons 24 are turned on.Successively, when the three-line button 23 b is depressed, it ispossible to bet one or two coins on each of the nominated game lines.Accordingly, after depressing the three-line button 23 b, the LEDs 28 ofthe one-bet button 24 a and the two-bet button 24 b are kept in thelighting state and the LEDs 28 of the three-bet button 24 c and thefour-bet button 24 d are turned off.

[0090] One of the operative bet buttons 24 is selectively depressedafter selecting the line button 23. Consequently, the two LEDs 28 of thedepressed line button 23 and the depressed bet button 24 are kept in thelighting state.

[0091] When the number of the inserted coins is seven or less, only theLEDs 28 of the operative buttons are turned on. At this point in time,the LEDs 28 of the inoperative buttons are turned off. Upon depressingone of the line buttons 23 a to 23 d, only the LED 28 of the depressedline button 23 is turned on. At this time, some of the bet buttons 24become inoperative according to the number of the nominated game linesso that the LEDs 28 thereof are turned off.

[0092] When the coins are inserted by three, it is impossible tonominate the five game lines and the eight game lines. Thus, the LEDs 28of the five-line button 23 c and the eight-line button 23 d are turnedoff, and the LEDs 28 of the one-line button 23 a and the three-linebutton 23 b are turned on. Under this condition, if the number of thegame lines to be nominated is one, three coins may be betted at themaximum. Accordingly, the one-bet button 24 a to the three-bet button 24c are turned on and the four-bet button 24 d is turned off. Meanwhile,if the three-line button 23 b is depressed when nominating the gamelines, the number of the coins betted on the nominated game lines isone. Thus, the two-bet button 24 b and the three-bet button 24 c becomeinoperative in addition to the four-bet button 24 d so that the LEDs 28thereof are turned off.

[0093] One of the operative bet buttons 24 is selectively depressedafter selecting the line button 23. Consequently, the two LEDs 28 of thedepressed line button 23 and the depressed bet button 24 are kept in thelighting state.

[0094] As stated above, nominating the game lines and betting the coinsare completed after inserting the coins. Then, the spin button 25 isdepressed to move the symbol-image rows. Upon depression of the spinbutton 25, the display control IC 72 starts the moving display of thesymbol-image row and turns off the line display 65. In a case that theplayer wishes to confirm the number of the nominated game lines duringthe moving display of the symbol-image row, the player watches theline-number window 59. Incidentally, while the symbol-image row ismoved, the LEDs 28 of the line button 23 and the bet button 24 areblinked.

[0095] In the meantime, the CPU 32 extracts the random number from therandom-number generator 45 every nominated game line to determine thekind of winning to be awarded to the current game. The CPU 32 stops themoving display of the symbol-image row performed by the display controlIC 72, such that the head address inputted from the symbol determiningcircuit 85 coincides with the head address inputted from the displaycontrol IC 72. In this way, one operation of the symbol-image displayingunit 51 is completed. In the case of winning, the CPU 32 refers to bothof the dividend-coin data stored in the ROM 37 and the bet number savedin the RAM 38. Then, the CPU 32 indicates, in the credit window 64, theaccumulation number of the awarded coins corresponding to the kind ofthe obtained winning. At the same time, the number of the awarded coinsis accumulated in the credit counter area of the RAM 38. Incidentally,the number of the awarded coins are the dividend-coin number multipliedby the bet number α (=1 to 4). After displaying the number of theawarded coins, one game is completed.

[0096] In the slot machine 50, the LEDs 28 provided inside the linebuttons 23 and the bet buttons 24 are adapted to indicate the operativebuttons in accordance with the number of the inserted coins. Therefore,the player can immediately distinguish the operative buttons afterinserting the coins and after depressing the line button 23. Moreover,the nominated game lines and the bet number thereof are shown by theline display 65 and the line-number window 59 so that the player caneasily distinguish the nominated game lines from the other game lines assoon as the line buttons 23 is depressed. Further, the bet-number window60 and the total-bet-number window 61 are provided so that it ispossible to immediately know the number of the betted coins and thetotally betted coins. In conclusion, according to the slot machine 50,the player can easily grasp the game contents.

[0097] The second embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed, referring to the drawings. However, when working the presentinvention, it is possible to properly modify the second embodiment.Although the number of the game lines is set to eight in the secondembodiment, this is not exclusive and it is possible to set a propernumber of the game lines at proper positions. Moreover, the number ofthe symbol-image windows 58 is not exclusive to nine and may be a propernumber.

[0098] In the second embodiment, the number of the nominated game linesis changed by depressing the line button 23 again after the number ofthe game lines to be nominated has been determined by depressing theline button 23. Similarly, the bet button 24 may be changeable afterdepression thereof. Further, in the second embodiment, the bet button 24is depressed after depression of the line button 23. However, the betbutton 24 may be depressed first to determine the number of the coins tobe betted on the game lines. In this case, the line button 23 isdepressed to determine the game lines to be nominated after depressingthe bet button 24.

[0099] In the second embodiment, the LEDs 28 of the operative buttonsare turned on, the LEDs 28 of the inoperative buttons are turned off,and the LEDs 28 of the selected buttons are blinked during the movingdisplay of the symbol-image row. However, this way is not exclusive. Forexample, the LEDs 28 of the operative buttons may be kept in thelighting state to notify the changeable buttons to the player. In thiscase, it is preferable to turn off the LEDs 28 of the non-depressedbuttons after commencing the moving display of the symbol-image row.Further, it is possible to properly modify the lighting way of the LED28 including the lighting manner, the lighting timing, the lightingperiod, and so forth. For example, the LED 28 of the operative buttonmay be blinked. Furthermore, the LED 28 is not exclusive for lightingthe line button 23 and the bet button 24. Instead of the LED 28, a lumpor the like may be used.

[0100] In the second embodiment, the game line nominated by depressingthe line button 23 is shown with the line display 65. However, this isnot exclusive. For example, all of the game lines may be indicated inadvance, and the nominated game line may be indicated in a differentcolor or in a blinking manner. In the second embodiment, the number ofthe betted coins is digitally indicated in the bet-number window 60.However, this is not exclusive. The number of the betted coins may beindicated with indicias, marks and so forth.

[0101] It is possible to properly modify the kinds and the arrangementof the various operation buttons disposed on the operation panel 12. Forexample, by providing an extra button for doubling the number of theobtained coins, it is possible to play more various games. Further, asfar as the subject matter of the present invention is not changed, it ispossible to variously modify the number of the symbol-image windows, thekinds of the symbols, the symbol arrangement of the symbol row, thekinds and the dividend of the winnings, the bet number, the movingdirection of the symbol row, the manner and the order for stopping thesymbol row, and so forth.

[0102] In the second embodiment, the present invention is applied to thevideo-type slot machine in which the reel rotation is simulated by thedisplaying unit on the basis of the graphic data stored in the ROM. Thepresent invention, however, may be applied to a reel-type slot machinein which physical reels, on peripheral surfaces of which a plurality ofsymbols are arranged, are actually rotated. In this case, the nominatedgame line may be indicated by LEDs and lamps provided along the gameline. In another way, an Electro Luminescence tape (EL tape) may beutilized for indicating the nominated game line. Moreover, it ispreferable that the number of coins betted on the nominated game line isshown by indication segments disposed near the LED, the lamp, and theend of the EL tape. Further, it is preferable that the total number ofthe nominated game lines is shown by lamps and indication segments.Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to the slot machine inwhich the reel rotation or the moving display of the symbol row isstopped by depressing a stop button.

[0103] Although the present invention has been fully described by way ofthe preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, various changes and modifications will be apparent to thosehaving skill in this field. Therefore, unless otherwise these changesand modifications depart from the scope of the present invention, theyshould be construed as included therein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A slot machine having a plurality of game lines,in which occurrence of winning is determined in accordance with acombination of symbols stopped at said game line nominated by a player,said slot machine comprising: nine symbol windows arranged in athree-by-three matrix and for displaying said symbols, moving display ofa row of said symbols being individually performed in the respectivesymbol windows; and a game-line selection member for selecting said gamelines to be nominated, said game-line selection member being operated bythe player after inserting coins into said slot machine and beforecommencing the moving display of said symbol row.
 2. A slot machineaccording to claim 1, wherein said nine symbol windows are combinedthree by three in a vertical direction, in a horizontal direction, andin a diagonal direction to set the eight game lines in total.
 3. A slotmachine according to claim 1, further comprising: an odds inputtingmember for setting odds to said game lines nominated by said game-lineselection member.
 4. A slot machine according to claim 3, furthercomprising: a simultaneous-input member for simultaneously inputtingboth of a number of said game lines to be nominated and the oddsthereof, said simultaneous-input member nominating a predeterminednumber of said game lines in a predetermined order and setting the fixedodds to the nominated game lines in each operation of saidsimultaneous-input member, and when said simultaneous-input member isoperated after nominating all of said game lines, the fixed odds beingadded to said game lines in the predetermined order in each operation ofsaid simultaneous-input member.
 5. A slot machine according to claim 4wherein said odds is a number of coins to be betted on said nominatedgame line.
 6. A slot machine according to claim 4, further comprising: aline indicator for indicating said nominated game line, said lineindicator being disposed at one end of said game line.
 7. A slot machineaccording to claim 6, wherein said line indicator has an arrow shape. 8.A slot machine according to claim 7, wherein said line indicatorincludes an LED and said nominated game line is indicated by turning onsaid LED.
 9. A slot machine according to claim 8, wherein said symbolrow is arranged on a periphery of a reel to perform said moving displayof said symbol row by rotating said reel.
 10. A slot machine accordingto claim 9, wherein said reel is rotated by means of a stepping motor.11. A slot machine according to claim 8, wherein said symbol row isdisplayed on an image displaying unit.
 12. A slot machine having aplurality of game lines, in which occurrence of winning is determined inaccordance with a combination of symbols stopped at said game linenominated by a player, said slot machine comprising: game-line selectingmeans for determining a number of said game lines to be nominated, saidgame-line selecting means including a plurality of line buttons, one ofwhich being operated by the player after inserting coins into said slotmachine and before commencing moving display of a row of said symbols;odds selecting means for determining odds of said game lines to benominated by said game-line selecting means, said odds selecting meansincluding a plurality of odds buttons, one of which being operated bythe player after inserting the coins into said slot machine and beforecommencing the moving display of said symbol row; and indication meansfor indicating the operative buttons among said line buttons and saidodds buttons which are changed into an operative state in accordancewith a number of coins inserted by the player.
 13. A slot machineaccording to claim 12, wherein nine symbol windows for displaying saidsymbol rows are arranged in a three-by-three matrix to individuallyperform the moving display of said symbol row in the respective symbolwindows.
 14. A slot machine according to claim 12, wherein said odds isa number of coins to be betted on said game lines and said odds buttoncorresponds to said number of the coins.
 15. A slot machine according toclaim 12, wherein said indication means indicates the operative line orodds buttons before operating them, and said indication means indicatesthe operated line or odds buttons after operating them.
 16. A slotmachine according to claim 12, wherein said indication means indicatesthe operative odds buttons in accordance with the operated line buttonwhen the line button has been operated prior to the odds button.
 17. Aslot machine according to claim 12, wherein said indication meansindicates the operative line buttons in accordance with the operatedodds button when the odds button has been operated prior to the linebutton.
 18. A slot machine according to claim 12, wherein said gamelines to be nominated by said line buttons are determined in advance.19. A slot machine according to claim 18, wherein said symbol rows andsaid game line are displayed as visible images by means of an imagedisplaying unit, the nominated game line being displayed so as to crosssaid symbols.
 20. A slot machine according to claim 19, whereindisplaying said game line is stopped when commencing the moving displayof said symbol row, and said game line is displayed again when stoppingthe moving display.
 21. A slot machine according to claim 20, furthercomprising: a line-number displaying member for indicating the number ofsaid game lines nominated by said game-line selecting means.